A Thanksgiving Tale
by Mulderette
Summary: Callen has an unorthodox Thanksgiving experience.


_Just a warped little Thanksgiving story. I ripped off the idea from an NCIS story I wrote years ago. Most of the current season's events don't come into play with this one. Wishing all of you who celebrate a very happy holiday and for those of you who don't, have a nice day :)_

xxxxx

Callen silently made his way through the warehouse towards where the suspects were meeting. He caught Sam's eye and pointed in the direction he wanted his partner to go. Deeks and Kensi were already in position. He had just made his way around a stack of cardboard boxes when he heard Sam shout, "G! Watch out!" Unfortunately, the warning came just a moment too late. He felt a violent blow to his head and his world went black.

xxxxx

The first thing Callen felt, as he started to come to, was an unsteady rocking, sometimes gentle, and sometimes rough, changing abruptly to jarring, uneven motions. It was actually making him feel a bit nauseous. "What the heck," he murmured as he opened his eyes and stared up at giant sails, billowing in the wind. His eyes widened in shock and the feeling only increased when Deeks entered his field of vision. "I…what…Deeks?"

"Tis I, Grisha, but tis most discourteous to greet me in such a manner," Deeks replied.

Callen could only stare at the younger man who was dressed in full pilgrim attire, including a tall hat, a dark button down jacket with a white collar, short pants, stockings and shoes with gold buckles. He shook his head, having no words for what was happening. "Are…are you in a play or something?" he asked apprehensively. Something was very wrong with this picture.

"A play?" Deeks asked. "What idiocy is this?"

Callen just stared as he tried to relate his junior team member to, for lack of a better term, Pilgrim Deeks. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the concept.

Suddenly, Hetty came over and placed a cool compress on Callen's forehead. He was comforted by the gesture and tried not to be too disturbed by what she was wearing, a dark colored dress with a white apron and a bonnet. She almost appeared to be swallowed up by what he assumed were petticoats underneath the skirt. "Hetty? I don't understand…what's going on? Where, where are we?" he asked tremulously, although he didn't' particularly want to hear the answer.

"Hetty?" Hetty shook her head, her eyes appearing sad. "I'm not sure what that means, but you slipped on the deck and hit your head. You shall be fine, Grisha."

"Is this...is this the Mayflower?" he asked.

"Aye, tis the Mayflower," Hetty said, confirming his suspicons.

As Callen tried to figure out how he had gone from the warehouse to the Mayflower, Granger came over and squatted down beside him. "Your mother and I have been verily distressed about your condition. Art thou feeling better now, my son?"

"Your son?" Callen asked, looking from Granger to Hetty and then back to Granger again. "You're my parents? You're together?" He couldn't help it…he started to laugh. "This cannot be happening. I guess I've finally lost my mind…"

Hetty shook her head. "The bump on the head has affected him mightily. You should go down below deck to get some sleep," she said to Callen then turned her attention to Granger. "I think he needs to rest. He is not acting like himself."

Owen nodded and turned to Deeks. "Martin, find Samuel and the two of you can help Grisha get down below."

Callen was very glad to see Sam when his partner arrived, even though he found his clothing to be more than a little disconcerting. "This really is a bad fashion choice for you, Sam," he murmured. Sam gave him a confused look but didn't respond as he and Deeks helped Callen to get down to the dimly lit lower deck. The ceilings were very low and all three men had to stoop in order to avoid hitting their heads. "Here you are, Grisha," Sam said as he led him to a straw-filled mattress in a tiny curtained off section and handed him a blanket. "Try to make yourself comfortable and get some rest."

Callen laid down on the lumpy mattress but, he could feel the pieces of straw sticking into him everywhere and it was very uncomfortable. "This really sucks," he mumbled, then noticed the long look that Deeks and Sam shared. "Sorry…"

"The hit to your head is making you speak most nonsensically, Grisha," Sam said, giving him a pitying look.

"You're the one whose speaking all weird…I just want to go home," Callen said with a sigh.

"You should have thought of that before we set sail," Deeks said, his blue eyes bright with excitement. "This is a great adventure, Grisha! It is our chance to seek out a better life."

"All will be well with you," Sam said. "Once you recover from your misfortune, you will regain your yearning for our voyage. Now sleep, Grisha."

Callen did feel drowsy so he allowed his eyes to close, hoping that when they opened again, he would be safe and sound back in Los Angeles.

xxxxx

Unfortunately, Callen did not find himself back in Los Angeles when he woke. He found himself lying on a rather uncomfortable bed in a dark, chilly cabin. He was starting to wonder if he had somehow gotten into a time warp and if he would ever be able to get back to the present. He had never really believed in that kind of thing but now he was starting to question if it really could happen. The thought of it was pretty depressing. He looked around the cabin and found it to be pretty sparse, even more so than his own present day house. He found some clothes to wear and dressed himself then opened the door and went outside and immediately spotted Deeks and Kensi, walking by, holding hands.

"Good morrow, Grisha," Deeks greeted him. "How do you fare?"

"Uh…good morrow, Martin…I…I'm good," Callen stammered. He stared at Kensi blankly, not wanting to get her pilgrim name wrong. "How do you fare?" He felt like an idiot speaking this way.

"Kensalina and I are well. We are going to help with preparations for the feast to celebrate the harvest. Would thou care to join us?"

"Come join us, Grisha," Kensi urged. "There will be many fine victuals to satisfy your palate."

"Victuals?" He supposed that meant food, but the word victuals didn't have a particularly good ring to it. He wasn't expecting much in the way of a feast.

Callen's low expectations for the meal weren't exactly met. The food was not bad, just very different from what he was used to. There was goose, lobster, rabbit, fish, venison, berries, clams, boiled pumpkin, squash, onions, chestnuts, cabbage, carrots, eggs, goat cheese, maple syrup, honey, bread and fruit. The conversation centered around things he was unfamiliar with and he found himself feeling very much lost and alone. He longed to be sitting with his teammates, talking about trying to find a suspect or just bantering about some silly thing or nothing at all. Everyone was different here. Although the pilgrims were cordial enough, it definitely was not what he was used to. Sam was too busy to talk and his family was almost standoffish with him. Michelle, Aiden and Kamran treated him as if he was a stranger. Even Hetty and Granger, who were supposedly his parents, were very formal with him. He found himself drawn more to Deeks and Kensi, but he didn't want to intrude on their relationship. Eric and Nell were also there, but they hadn't spoken to him as of yet. Maybe he didn't really know them here? He had no idea. All he knew was that he didn't like this…he didn't like it at all.

That night, before dropping off to sleep, he couldn't help but wonder what he had done to deserve this fate. He really didn't think he could stand living the rest of his life this way…

xxxxx

Callen groaned softly and he felt a hand holding his. "G? Come on buddy, come on back to us." He opened his eyes and saw his partner, looking at him with obvious concern.

"Samuel? You…you're not a pilgrim anymore? We…we're not in Plymouth?" He felt a tremendous sense of relief but was almost afraid to believe his eyes.

"A pilgrim? Pretty sure I've never been a pilgrim, G," Sam smiled, but he still looked worried.

"You were a pilgrim," Callen insisted. "You and Deeks and Kensi…" he trailed off looking confused.

"Callen's Dorothy!" Deeks said loudly from the entranceway to Callen's cubicle as Kensi tried to shush him.

"What are you talking about, Deeks," Callen asked, grouchily. His head was aching and he felt almost claustrophobic in the small cubicle. "Where are we?"

"Well, we're not in Oz, my little pilgrim," Deeks said, grinning mischievously. "Callen, you're having your very own Wizard of Oz moment. Were you on the Mayflower? Did it spin around like Dorothy's house in the tornado?"

"Deeks, cut it out," Sam admonished him, seeing that Callen was not in the least bit amused. "We're in the ER, G. You've been unconscious for over an hour. You had us pretty worried."

"I'm okay, Samuel…I mean, Sam," Callen said with a sigh. "Did you get Santiago and his goons?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, we got them. They're all safe and sound behind bars."

Just then, the doctor came into the room and sent the three team members back out into the ER waiting area so he could examine Callen. "Don't worry, Sam," Kensi said, patting his arm comfortingly. "I'm sure Callen's going to be fine."

Sam nodded and forced a smile for Kensi's benefit. "Yeah…I know, Kens…"

"I wonder how I looked in Callen's pilgrim dream," Deeks said. "I would totally rock a pilgrim outfit."

Kensi started to laugh, but it ended up being a snort. "Oh yeah, Deeks. I'm sure you would just look gorgeous in one of those tall hats. Really attractive."

"Scoff if you want to, Kensalina, but when I was 12, I was in the school Thanksgiving play. I played Myles Standish and got rave reviews."

"Oh tell me you have pictures," Kensi said, putting her arms around his neck. "Please let there be pictures."

"My mom may actually have some floating around," Deeks said, smiling back at her.

The sound of a throat being cleared caused the three to turn around. "Your friend appears to be doing very well," the doctor said. "I'm sending him for a head CT as a precaution and if that is negative, we'll just keep him overnight for observation."

"So he can go home tomorrow?" Sam asked, looking relieved.

The doctor nodded. "I would say that's very likely."

"Thanks, doctor," Sam said. "That's good news."

"I guess we should get out of here," Deeks said, looking at Kensi who nodded. "I can call Hetty and let her know Callen's status if you want."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, thanks, Deeks. That would be good."

"We can also pick him up from the hospital, tomorrow, Sam," Kensi said. "I know you'll be busy with Thanksgiving preparations. We'll just grab him on our way to your house."

"Yeah?" Sam nodded. "Alright, if you're sure you don't mind. I'm just going to stay with him for now, make sure everything is okay and wait for him to get settled in a room."

Deeks nodded. "Let us know if anything changes."

"I will," said Sam. "Thanks guys…I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Sam," Kensi said softly as she gave him a hug. "Tell Callen we hope he feels better and we'll see him in the morning."

"I'll tell him. Good night."

Sam watched as Kensi and Deeks headed out of the ER and then went back in to see his partner. Callen's eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and Callen opened his eyes, his expression pained.

"Hey, G…how are you feeling?" Sam asked softly.

"Headache," Callen admitted as he shifted his body in an attempt to get comfortable. "Did Kensi and Deeks leave?"

"Yeah, I don't think they wanted to crowd you," Sam said. "They sent you their best wishes and they'll be here in the morning to pick you up and bring you to my house for dinner."

"Oh yeah…Thanksgiving," Callen said. "I bet it will be better than the other dinner."

"What other dinner?' Sam asked.

"The one with the pilg…" Callen stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."

"You were just dreaming, G." Sam smiled and patted his partner's hand reassuringly. "Trust me, you're here in good old Los Angeles and you're going to be fine."

"Mr. Callen?" an orderly stepped into the cubicle pushing a gurney. "I'm here to transport you down for a CT scan." He looked at Sam. "You can accompany him if you'd like. There's a waiting area there."

"Sam nodded. "Yes, I'd like to go with him. Thanks."

Luckily, Callen was taken in immediately for the head CT and about a half hour later was brought back out to where Sam was waiting. "Hey, Sam? You still here?" Callen asked, groggily.

"Yeah G, I'm here. Everything's okay," Sam said softly.

"Thanks," Callen said before allowing his eyes to close and drifting off to sleep.

"There's a room ready for him," the orderly told Sam. "I'm taking him up there now."

Sam walked beside the gurney, his eyes constantly going to his partner. Until he knew the results of the CT scan, he still couldn't help but worry. G looked so vulnerable and it really wasn't a look that Sam associated with him. He didn't like seeing him like this.

They brought Callen up to a private room and he awoke briefly while being transferred onto the bed, but quickly fell back asleep. Sam just sat quietly, watching his partner, and after being in the room for about 40 minutes, the doctor came in. "Hello again, sorry to have kept you waiting."

"That's no problem," said Sam.

The doctor turned to Callen. "Mr. Callen? Can you wake up for me?" he asked.

Callen reluctantly opened his eyes and looked up at the doctor. "Hey, doc."

"I'm just going to do a quick neuro check," the doctor said. He noted Callen's vital signs on the monitor and then checked his pupils and grip strength in his hands. "Good," he said as he finished up. "As I suspected, your CT scan was negative. Barring any change in your status, we'll release you tomorrow morning. Get you home in time for Thanksgiving dinner."

"That's good," Callen said, sleepily. "Thanks."

"You get some rest," the doctor said, before turning to Sam. "He's doing very well."

"That's good news," Sam said, finally allowing himself to relax. "Thank you."

"I'll be back in the morning. Have a good night, gentlemen."

The doctor then left the room and Sam directed his attention to his partner. "G?"

"Hmm?" Callen said, already almost asleep again.

"I'm going to head home, unless you'd like me to stay with you," Sam said.

"Go home, Sam…" Callen said, his eyes closed. "Just want to sleep…" His breathing quickly evened out and he was once again fast asleep.

"Okay, buddy…" Sam said, pulling the blankets up a little higher and tucking them around his partner. He felt bad leaving G alone, but he wanted to be able to help Michelle if she needed him. Hopefully, his partner would have a peaceful night and get the rest he needed. "You sleep well…I'll see you tomorrow."

xxxxx

A bored Callen was absently going through television channels with the remote control when Kensi and Deeks entered his room. He immediately brightened up and turned off the tv. "Good morning, guys," he said.

"How's my little pilgrim boy today?" Deeks asked with a grin as Callen rolled his eyes.

"How long is this going to go on for?" Callen asked.

"Deeks, stop," Kensi said as she elbowed him in the side.

"Ow," Deeks said, backing away from her. "Kensalina, you have some major hostility issues going on, especially on a holiday where you're supposed to be thankful for me. Really, Callen, how are you doing?"

"I'm good, definitely better," Callen replied. "The doctor said I can leave, but I'm still waiting for my discharge papers."

Deeks was carrying a duffel bag which he tossed onto the bed. "We stopped by OSP and got you some clothes."

"Hey, thanks," Callen said. "I appreciate that and the two of you coming to pick me up as well."

"It's no problem," Deeks said. "We're all going to the same place."

"Okay, I'm going to get dressed," Callen said. "Then hopefully, we can get out of here sometime soon."

"He looks good," Kensi said, after Callen had gone into the bathroom to change.

Deeks nodded. "Yes he does."

"Sam will be relieved. He was really worried."

"Well, he's going to be fine so Sam can have a worry-free Thanksgiving now."

"I guess we all can," Kensi said as she went over to Callen's bed and sat on the edge of it. Deeks walked over to the chair by the bed and sat down. He then picked up the remote control, turned on the tv and started to browse through the channels.

A few minutes later, Callen slowly came out of the bathroom and silently walked back to the bed. Kensi quickly got up and Callen sat on the bed, looking a little bit more pale than when he had gotten up.

Kensi and Deeks shared a look and then Deeks spoke. "Hey you okay, man?" he asked.

"Yeah…just got a little dizzy. I'm alright now."

"Should you tell someone?" Kensi asked, looking worried.

"No, I'm okay, Kens," Callen said, shaking his head. "In any case, I'm not signed back to work yet. I have to see the doctor in a week."

"That's good," Kensi said. "You need to rest."

"I need to get out of here," Callen said impatiently. "I've definitely had enough of this place."

"Come on, Callen…you really haven't been here all that long," Deeks said.

"I know," Callen said with a sigh. "I just don't like hospitals…"

"I guess I can understand that," said Deeks. "I'm not particularly a fan myself."

"Are there actually people who like being in the hospital?" Kensi asked. "Do you want me to go see if I can hurry things along?"

Callen considered that, then shook his head. "Thanks, that's okay. A lot of people probably want to get out of here today, not just me. I can wait."

"There might be some people who like being in hospitals…" Deeks said. "People who are lonely, who don't have families. They might actually like it. They get taken care of and have company…"

"I guess when you think of it like that, we're pretty lucky," Kensi said quietly.

Callen nodded and the three silently pondered that until, a few minutes later, the nurse came in with discharge papers and a wheelchair. Callen didn't even complain about the wheelchair as Deeks wheeled him out to the car.

xxxxx

"Uncle Callen!" Kamran gave an ear-piercing shriek as she threw her arms around him. "I was so worried about you. Are you okay? Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving, Uncle Marty! Happy Thanksgiving, Auntie Kensi!"

"Come on Kam," Sam ushered his daughter away from Callen. "I don't want you knocking my partner over," he said with a grin. "He's a bit fragile right now."

Callen smirked. "You're hilarious, Sam."

"You okay?" Sam asked seriously as he eyed Callen, then couldn't help but pull him into a hug. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine, big guy." Callen said.

"Well come on inside." Sam led the three guests into the living room where they were surprised to see Hetty sitting on the sofa. "She's been really worried about you," Sam whispered. "Go talk to her, let her know you're okay."

Callen went and sat next to Hetty on the sofa and Kensi and Deeks sat on chairs by the sofa, on the other side of Hetty.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Miss Blye, Mr. Deeks, Mr. Callen…"

Kensi, Deeks and Callen all echoed Hetty's greeting and then said their hellos to Michelle and Aiden who came into the living room to greet them and place a platter of cheese and crackers on the coffee table.

Hetty's gaze lingered on Callen, obvious concern in her eyes. "Are you sure you're alright, Mr. Callen?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, Hetty," Callen gazed at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I promise."

Hetty gave a questioning look to Kensi and Deeks, almost as if she wanted verification of what Callen had said.

"He's good, Hetty," Deeks said.

"And he's behaving himself," Kensi said. "He even let Deeks wheel him out of the hospital without putting up a fuss."

"And I'll make sure he behaves himself tonight as well," Sam joined the conversation. "He'll be staying here."

"I don't suppose I have a say in this?" Callen asked, giving his partner an amused look.

"I don't suppose you do," Sam nodded agreeably. "Besides, you've got my family to wait on you, football on tv, lots of leftovers. What more could you ask for?"

"Sounds like a good deal to me, Callen," Deeks said.

"Yeah, well it actually sounds like a good deal to me too, Deeks," Callen said sincerely as he gave Sam a grateful look which his partner acknowledged with a nod. Callen looked around at all the people in the room who cared about him, and he realized how lucky he was and that he truly had a lot to be thankful for.


End file.
